Current-motor.



ARTIN.

CURRENT MOTORP v YAPPLIOAiTION 1711.21) NOV.22,'191.1.

Patented Apr; 30, 1912.

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N ....F M I: S R

INVENTOR 8 E 8 8 M U W J. H. MARTIN.

CURRENT MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911.

Patented Apr. 30, 19 12.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

y Jan/E; /7. M/VFT/IY Armin/H's WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

JAMES H. MARTIN, OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. hfAR'rIN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Greene, State ofMissouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Current-Motors,of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in current motors, and has for its objectthe provision of a simple, economical motor of the character specifiedadapted to be arranged in a running stream or the like, and whereinmeans is provided for utilizing the force generated by the moving waterwith as little waste from friction as possible.

A further object is to provide a flume in connection with the motor fordeflecting a large amount of the current to the motor, and having meansfor shutting off the motor from the current, and for deflectingdriftwood and the like away from the motor.

In the drawings; Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improvement; Fig. 2is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlargedperspective view of a portion of the chain, showing the mounting of thevanes; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4l4 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a vane.

In the present embodiment the motor proper is supported by buoyantfloats or boats, each of which consists of a hollow casing 1 of suitablelength and cross section arranged in laterally spaced parallel relation,and connected at front and rear by cross plates 2 and 3, respectively.The floats have their front ends beveled on their outer sides, asindicated at 4, and the plate 2 is arranged on the upper faces of thefloats, while plate 3 is at their rear ends.

A pair of gates are provided for closing the space between the floats attheir front ends, each gate consisting of a plate 5 hinged to theadjacent float by one end at top and bottom by hinges 6. A shaft 7 formsthe pivot pin connecting the leaves of the hinges, and the shaft isextended above the upper face of the floats and is bent laterally toform a handle 8. Each shaft 7 is provided with a radial arm 9 adjacentto the plate 2, and the said plate is provided with an arc-shaped series10 of openings near each shaft for engagement by a pin 11 passingthrough a bearing Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 22, 1911.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Serial No. 661,662.

sleeve 12 at the outer end of the arm. Each arm is provided with a hub13 encircling the shaft, and a pin 14: is passed through the sleeve andengages the shaft to hold the sleeve in adjusted position on the shaft.By means of the handles 8 the gates 5 may be swung into the full lineposition of Fig. 1 to close the flume formed by the floats, or may beswung into the dotted line position of the same figure to permit freepassage to the water to operate the motor. One of the gates is providedat its outer end with a transverse rib 15 which fits outside of theadjacent end of the other gate. The pin 11 is slidable in the bearing12, so that it may be engaged with any of the openings, and theaggregate length of the gates is greater than the width of the spacebetween the floats, so that the gates form a peak when closed. The peakacts as a fender to deflect driftwood or the like to the outer sides ofthe floats. The beveled front ends of the floats assist also in thisfunction.

hen the gates are in the dotted line position of Fig. 1 they act asdeflectors, to deflect the moving water into the flume to operate themotor. The motor consists of a pair of endless chains 16, a chain beingsupported alongside the inner face of each float on sprocket wheels 17.The sprocket wheels at the rear ends of the floats are arranged onalined stub shafts 18, and those at the front ends of the floats aresecured to a shaft 18 The shafts 18 and 18 are journaled in bearings 19on the floats, and the chains may be of any usual or desiredconstruction of link. The chains are connected at spaced intervals bymeans of transverse shafts 20, each shaft having each of its 1 endsjournaled in a pair of bearing lugs 21 formed on special links 22interposed in the chains 16. The members of each pair of lugs 21 arespaced apart laterally, and a disk 23 is secured to the shaft betweenthe members of each pair of lugs. Each of the disks 23 is provided witha lug 24 extending outwardly, and the side edges of each lug are radialto the shaft or to the center of the disk. arranged in each side of eachlink 22, each of the said links 25 having a pair of spaced bearing lugs26. A pawl 27 is pivoted at one end between each pair of lugs, and thefree end of each pawl engages the adjacent A special form of link 25 isside of the lug 24. Each pawl 27 is pivoted on a pin 28, connecting thelugs 26, and is provided with a laterally extending pin 29 intermediateits ends. A. coil spring 30 has one end connected to the pin 29 and theother end to a pin 31 on the link 25. The spring acts to draw the freeend of the pawl toward the chain to hold the said end in engagement withthe lug 24.

The chains 16 in the present instance are shown as formed of alternatelyarranged single links and pairs of links, and the special link iscomposed of laterally spaced bars, and a lug 26 is integral. with eachbar. The link 22 is of precisely the same construction as the link 25.The length of the pawls 27 is such that when the links 22 and 25 of thechain are in alinement, that is, when the chain is straight, the pawls27 hold the lug 24 rigidly between them so that the shaft 20 cannot moveangularly. When, however, the chain passes around the sprocket wheels 17the links 22 and 25 are moved angularly with respect to each other, andthe free ends of the pawls are moved away from the lug 24. The shaft isthus free to move angular-1y at the sprockets, without interference fromthe pawls. This movement is permitted to prevent any kink ing, twistingor binding of the chains or shafts 20 as the said shafts move around thesprocket wheels at the respective ends of the motor. Each shaft 20supports a vane, and each vane is composed of three wings or sections,two of which, 32 and 32, are in alinement, and the third, 33,perpendicular to the alined sections. The alined sections of the vaneare composed of a plate of suitable sheet material of a length somewhatless than the distance between the chains, and of suitable width, andthe plate has a longitudinal groove 34 for receiving the shaft 20 at oneside of the longitudinal center of the plate.

The side edge of section 33 of the vane adjacent to the shaft is cutaway intermediate the ends of the vane, as indicated at 36, to form avent for the escape of water, and at each end of the said side edge thevane is provided with oppositely extending lateral flanges 37 which fitagainst the adjacent faces of sections 32 and 32 and are secured to thesaid sections by rivets or bolts 38. The side edge of the section isalso grooved at 39 between the flanges to receive the shaft, and thevane as a whole is rotatable on the shaft. Each disk 23 (Fig. 4) is heldto the shaft 20 by a key 35, and a disk 40 is keyed to the shaft by akey 41 between each disk 23 and the adjacent end of the vane. Each diskis cut away to form a radial stop 42 in its periphery, and each stop isadapted to engage the end of a pawl 43. The pawl 43 is provided with abearing at one end fitting over a pin 44, extending longitudinally fromthe end of section 32 of the vane, and a spring 45 is arranged between apin 46 on the pawl and the vane and acts normally to hold the free endof the pawl in contact with the periphery of disk 40.

The portion 32 of the vane is of greater width than the portion 32, aswill be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 2, and the stop 42 is soarranged with respect to the vane that when the portions 32-32'* of thevane are in vertical position, with the portion 32 below the shaft 20,the pawl will be in engagement with the stop to prevent the portion 32from swinging forward of the shaft 20. The mechanism is so arranged thaton the lower runs of the chains the vane sections and will beapproximately submerged, and since the portion 32 is of greater area andbelow the shaft the force of the current will tend to move the portion32 at a greater speed than the portion 32 and to swing the alinedsections out of ver tical position. The pawl, however, prevents any suchmovement and holds the vane vertical and in a position to expose thegreatest possible area to the current. It is, of course, desirable tohold the vanes in a position such that the current acts upon thegreatest possible area of vane for the longest possible extent of time,and to offer as little surface to the resistance of the air on thereturn movement of the vanes. It is also desirable to enter and removethe vanes from the water with as little resistance to the flow of thewater as may be, since every such re sistance requires power to overcomeit and detracts so much power from that delivered by the motor. For thisreason, the vanes are returned on the upper run of the chains with thesections 3232 in horizontal position.

As the vanes move around the sprocket wheels at the rear of the floatsthe heavier portions 32 and 33 of the vane swings the said vane intoposition with the portion 33 approximately vertical. The said portion,it will be noticed, is of greater thickness than the portions 32- 32 Thepawl 43 offers no resistance to this movement, since it is moved awayfrom the stop, and the pawls 27 are moved away from lug 24 by theangular movement of the links with respect to each other. The vanes thusreturn, on the upper runs of the chains, with the portions 32--32 a})proXimately horizontal, and offer as a consequence but littleresistance to the air. As they pass around the sprocket wheels at thefront of the floats the levers 27 are again loosened, and as soon assection 33 of the vane is engaged by the current, which is when theshaft 20 approaches the common plane of the axes of the sprocket wheels,the vane is swung with portions 32-32 vertical. The vanes, when on thelower run of the chains, extend below the bottoms of the floats, and aplate 45 is secured to each float, on the inner side thereof, by rivetsor bolts 46, the said plates extending somewhat below the lower edges ofthe vanes. The operation of the motor may be stopped whenever desired,by closing the gates, and the said gates prevent any damage to the motorwhen not in use from driftwood or the like. The power generated by themotor'is taken from the shaft 18 by means of a chain 47 connected to agenerator or the like arranged in a casing 4-8 supported by standards asabove the motor, the chain engaging a sprocket wheel 50 on shaft 18"-. 4

It will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2 that four vanes areprovided, so that at least one vane is in the water at all times. Theshafts 20 are spaced apart at equal distances, and the chains are ofsuch length that one vane always has its full area exposed to the actionof the current. The cut away portion 36 of the section 33 permits thewater to flow through as the vane is lifted from the water. It will beunderstood,

that as the vanes pass around the sprocket wheels, the pawls 27 areentirely released from the lug 24, so that the shaftis free to rotate inthe chains. The vane 33 is in effect, a counterbalance, and is ofsuflicient weight to hold the sections 3232 of the vane horizontal onthe upper run of the chains. As the vanes pass around the sprocketwheels on the stub shafts, the current tends to swing the shaft 20,which at this time is released from the pawls 27, into the positionshown at the left of Fig. 2. As soon however as the vane is liftedentirely clear of the water, the section 33 immediately swings the vanesinto the position shown on the upper run of the chain in the saidfigure. As the vanes pass around the sprocket wheels on the shaft 18 thesection 33 of the vanes is first engaged by the water, and the vane isswung as a whole to cause the section 32 to enter the water. The currentacting on the sections 32 and 33 will now swing the vane into theposition shown on the lower runs of the chains, that is with thesections 3232 vertical. This takes place before the vanes have passedaway from the sprocket wheels, and the shaft is thus moved into positionso that the pawls 27 engage on each side of the lug 2a to hold the shaftrigid on the lower runs of the chains. It will be understood that theshafts 7 are secured to the gate, so that when the.

gates move therewith.

on each stub shaft, a sprocket wheel at each with spaced bearing lugsfor the adjacent end of the shaft, a disk secured to the shaft betweeneach pair of lugs and provided with a lug on its peripheryhaving itsfaces radial to the shaft, a pawl pivoted to the adjacent link on eachside of the shaft and engaging the lug when the chain links are inalinement, springs holding the pawls-in engaging position, a disk oneach shaft adjacent to the chain, each disk having a stop having oneface radial to the shaft and the other merging gradually into theperiphery of the disk, a vane journaled on each shaft between thelastnamed disks, each vane consisting of three sections, two of thesections being'in' the same plane and on opposite sides of the shaft,one of the sections being of greater width than the other, the thirdsection being at right angles to the first named sections andperpendicular to the axis of the shaft, and a pawl on the vane at eachend thereof engaging the notch of the adjacent disk to hold the alinedsection vertical with the wider section below the shaft and to preventthe said wide section from swinging in front of the shaft.

2. A current motor comprising spaced endless chains, wheels forsupporting the chains, shafts connecting the chains atspaced intervalsand journaled in the links of the chains, a vane on each shaft, eachvane comprising alined sections on opposite sides of the shaft, one ofthe sections being of greater width than the other, and a section atright angles to the other sections and perpendicular to the shaft, meansengaging the shafts for preventing angular movement of the shafts whenthe links are in alinement and for permitting angular movement when theshafts pass around the wheels, and means for holding the vanes with thealined planes vertical on the lower runs of the chains and with the widesections below the shafts, said means comprising a disk secured on theshaft at each end of each vane, each disk having a tooth, and a pawl ateach end of the narrow section of the alined sections of the vane.

3. A current motor comprising spaced endless chains, wheels forsupport-ing the chains, shafts connecting the chains at with the widesections below the shafts, said means comprising a disk secured on theshaft at each end of each vane, each disk having a tooth, and a pawl ateach end of the narrow section of the alined section of the vane.

4. In a current motor comprising laterally spaced endless chains, shaftsconnecting the chains at spaced intervals and journaled in the links ofthe chains at their ends, spaced sprocket wheels for supporting eachchain and a vane on each shaft, a disk secured to each shaft adjacent toeach chain, each disk having a lug on its periphery, both faces of thelug being radial to the disk, a pawl pivoted to the chain at each sideof the shaft and engaging the adjacent face of the lug when the links ofthe chain are alined, and a spring holding each pawl in engagement withthe lug.

5. In a current motor comprising laterally spaced endless chains, shaftsconnecting the chains at spaced intervals and journaled in the links ofthe chains at their ends, spaced sprocket wheels for support-- ing eachchain and a vane on each shaft, each shaft having a radial stop adjacentto each chain, a pawl pivoted to the chain on each side of the shaft andengaging the stop when the links of the chain are alined, and

a spring for holding each pawl in engagement with the stop.

6. In a current motor comprising laterally spaced endless chains, shaftsconnecting the chains at spaced intervals and j ournaled in the links ofthe chains at their ends, spaced sprocket wheels for supporting eachchain and a vane on each shaft, and a pawl pivoted to the chain on eachside of the shaft, the shaft having a stop between the adjacent ends ofthe pawls and engaged thereby when the links of the chain are inalinement.

7. In a device of the character specified, the combination with thelaterally spaced endless chains, sprocket wheels for supporting eachchain and shafts connected with the chains, of means for permittingangular movement of the shafts as the said shafts pass around thewheels, said means comprising a stop at each end of each shaft, a pairof pawls for each stop, said pawls engaging opposite faces of the stopand being pivoted to the chain on opposite sides of the stop.

JAMES H. MARTIN.

Witnesses C. E. TRAINOR, SoLoN C. KnMoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

